Notes: My life has been a series of messy messes, to say the least these last few months. Life has become complicated and I have found time to write in the most inconvenient of times when I just feel like crap. I'm sorry that this took so long, and I'm sorry I didn't want to give any of you who messaged me false timelines to when I would be updating. I have been so so so busy with college right now, not to mention my own personal issues. But thank you to all who took the time to message me about Ice Princess or Safeguard or Iridescence, I am working on them.

Please enjoy the next chapter of, Safeguard.

Chapter 3: Blindsided

Riley stood across the kitchen table watching her family and friends crowd around the two cards. Their reactions were all mixed, as Riley tried to take in all of them. Maya gasped, bringing her hand to her mouth. Farkle stared at the cards, as he spaced out, unable to fully comprehend the severity of the threats. Smackle was the first to look up at Riley, and exhibit fear on her behalf. Josh's face became angry.

"How long have you had these?" Josh growled, picking up both papers off the table and waving them in the air.

For the first time, tears spiked at Riley's eyes, and she just shook her head pushing them back.

"Riley, I swear, this is serious and I need to know how long you've had these. Are there anymore?" Josh yelled.

His raised voice made her feel small, and she stepped back, protecting her collarbone with her good arm by instinct.

"I got the first one yesterday, but the second one came just now. While I was sleeping, I woke up and found it on my book shelf."

"That one was in your room?" Maya asked disgusted. "There was someone in your room?"

"I-I… I don't know," Riley shuttered. "I don't know what is going on, okay. I don't have the answers here."

The room quieted down as everyone froze, looking at Riley, seeing the terrified girl.

"Riles," Maya tried to sooth the girl, walking around the table, but Riley took a step back flinching, her eyes landing on the floor. It was as if the people she trusted most seemed to be making her nerves stand, and she suddenly didn't know who could make her feel safe once again. "Come on, Riles," Maya whispered, "help us to understand this mess so we can help you."

"No," she shook her head. "You can't help me now. I called Farkle and Izzy because they can actually help me. I need you to stay out of this one. Both of you."

Maya and Josh exchanged a worried look.

"Maybe-" Josh was interrupted, lifting a hand to his sister cautiously.

"I'm serious Josh. Just go home. I won't ask again," Riley hissed, taking the other seat next to Farkle, directing her attention to the laptop.

Riley ignored the two people she loved most, as they packed up their belongings and left the room without a word. She knew that her words might have hurt them, but it was nothing compared to the danger they were at risk of. The door slammed shut and Riley released a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding.

Before continuing, Farkle looked up at Riley who stared blankly at his computer screen. "Josh might have been able to help us, Riley. He is a cop."

Something in Riley shifted, as she acknowledged his words, looking towards both Farkle and Izzy. "I know," she agreed, "but I've put the both of them in enough danger as it is, I want to leave them out of this as long as possible."

"Are you sure-"

"Do you have an issues with this Farkle? Izzy? Because just say the word and both of you can leave as well. I don't want to be putting anyone in danger let alone two of my oldest friends. I do however need help from someone and you two are the smartest people I know. Just say the word and you can leave. If you feel at all uncomfortable please, just say so."

Neither of them spoke a word.

"So it's settled then. We get to work."

Lucas unlocked his apartment door after a long day's work. He had just worked five ridiculously long shifts, and he was shocked more than anything how his body was still in a mere haze between the states of total alertness and total exhaustion. He wanted nothing more than to fall asleep for the next week to be completely revitalized.

His last few weeks had been busy adapting to a new department and lifestyle, but so far he didn't think he regretted it. Things were just different, life was just different.

With the door swinging open, his large Bernese Mountain Dog, Hurc jumped up against his legs.

"Hey Hurc," Lucas greeted, setting down his take out from Ardens on the table next to the door and bending down to the dog's level. The three year old black furred dog had patches of orange red and a white stomach and nearly pushed Lucas over. "Did ya miss me?" Lucas cooed, fluffing the dog's ears.

Wagging his tail the dog began licking his hands, while Lucas smiled at the familiarity.

"Come on," Lucas called, standing up finally closing the door behind him and walking further into his apartment.

Everything Lucas had ever known had been in Texas; he family, his upbringing, his lifestyle, his friends - everything. So when had decided to move everything he had known to New York, his expectations that it would be a simple move, were severely misguided. He missed the small things - the smell of the ranch early in the morning, the sounds of the grass waving in the wind as grasshoppers chirped in the background, the calmness of the summer nights, and the easiness of Texas law.

But even with his purest of intentions, when Zay had initially said that he was moving across the country to become a New York police officer, there was no way he was leaving his lifelong friend to fend for himself. The only thing tying himself down was his parents and younger sister. Everything else could be easily sacrificed for a change in lifestyle.

Regardless, things change and new goals emerged. Lucas had then been exposed to the crimes of New York and he knew that his skills should be used elsewhere, thus emerged the desire to become a second grade detective and become more of an individual than he ever had before.

So there he was, paying monthly rent on an old apartment in the centre of New York City, living on his own, waiting for what ever was supposed to happen next in his life.

Lucas pressed the channel guide on his television sifting through the different programs, while Hurc sat on the couch beside him. After such a long day, this was his typical evening, eating take out and watching what ever the nightly television drama was.

A loud knock on the front door of the apartment started both Lucas and Hurc, who shot up straight releasing two loud barks in return of the knocks.

"Who's there?" Lucas hushed to his curious dog, while standing up to investigate.

He looked through the small portal in the door, revealing Josh with his arms crossed while he looked distantly down the hallway. The detective finally opened the door, uncertain of what conversation he was about to have.

"Hey, can I come in?" Josh asked immediately before Lucas could get a word in.

"Uhm, sure?" he answered, although his voice lingered like a question.

Josh walked past time, sitting Hurc follow him curiously behind to Lucas's small kitchen, where Josh finally stopped, leaning against the counter to collect his own thoughts.

"I don't remember telling you where I live," Lucas finally said after observing his partner.

"I called Hunter and he checked your file," Josh explained, his eyes wandering the apartment before finding themselves back on the observant Lucas. Lucas was uncertain about whether or not he should be the one to pry, or to wait awkwardly for the man across his room. Signing, Josh continued. "I know this is bad timing. Trust me, I wouldn't be here it things hadn't escalated to where they are now. But there has been some advancement in my sisters case and I need to talk to you about this."

Lucas nodded, opening the refrigerator, grabbing two cold beers off the middle shelf, and handing one of them to his partner. "I told you I was here to help," he replied. "Tell me what I can do."

"I was just at Riley's place," Josh began, twisting the cap off the beer and placing it on the counter. "Maya had spent the entire day there while I was in and out, running around. Damn it, I should have been there," Josh cursed.

Lucas furrowed his brows, leaning forward in anticipation, uncertain of which direction the story was about to lead.

"Riley slept and rested for most of the afternoon, but she was restless, no doubt. While she was sleeping and sometime between when Maya and I were leaning and watched the television, someone was in her apartment, watching her, taking notes, leaving notes, whatever. The point is, this threat of Riley being hit by the SUV is legitimate. Someone is not only trying to harm her, they are stalking her. They know everything about her and we know nothing about who this sick bastard is."

Lucas tried to follow along, listening to Josh, taking in the details and memorizing them.

He had a million questions. Starting with Riley and how she was doing. Was he hurt even more than the last time he saw her? Had he harmed her in a more emotionally traumatic way? Those ways were harder to come back from. They hurt and Lucas would never wish that upon anyone.

After a moment, Lucas looked back up at Josh, who was staring off into space.

"What do you need me to do?" he asked.

"Well you're neutral," Josh started, "so you don't know anything about Riley, I think that will be an asset. You can remain unbiased. The rest of us can't do that. I need you to take the reigns on this case and do whatever needs to be done. I need you to question and interrogate Riley and everyone else who comes along. Everything about this is under your care. Can you do that? If you can't, I need to know so I can start looking for someone else to handle this. It's very sensitive, I think you can understand that."

"Of course. And I'll do it. I want to help."

For Riley, life was complicated, but she tried to make it as simple as possible. She tried to give people the benefit of the doubt, and she tried to see the best in people, but after years of being exposed to selfish, ignorant people, she just couldn't help but have a tarnished view on the the world.

Josh showed up at her door at eight o'clock that morning, freshly baked blueberry muffins in hand in a brown paper bag from the Ukrainian bakery down the street and an obviously unwilling and uncomfortable smile on his face.

They were both uncomfortable.

"What are y-"

"Go shower and get dressed. I'm taking you to the precinct," he demanded. Prepared for any protest, Josh walked through her door, dropping the muffins on the counter.

Riley's eyes widened in surprise watching her older brother claim his territory. She had not taken into account his demands.

"Josh-" she began to argue, but he cut her off.

"Riley, I am not going to say it again. This is serious and I am opening an investigation. My partner is going to question you and we are going to find whoever this is."

She blinked twice.

"You know why I want you out of this," she said softly, just cracking the surface of her doubts and fears about the situation.

"I know you have good intentions. But this isn't just about you anymore. And I need to not only make sure that you are safe, but everyone else too. I am not going to sit back and watch my little sister wait for harm to come to her while you drown emotionally. We are going to figure this out together, got it?"

She stared at him, willing herself not to succumb to his pleas, but desperately wanting to reach out to him at the same time. The two of them had been through so much together.

"Okay," she nodded after a minute.

"Good, now get ready and we'll get to work."

Riley had mastered her ability to mask her emotions by using her professionalism to display her lack of personal attachment. She could put on a nice pair of black dress pants and white blouse, while pulling the outfit together with a burgundy blazer. She did her make up perfectly and curled each wave of her hair without a strand out of place. Every little detail was just the beginning of convincing anyone that she was put together and stable.

Not that at any moment she might just break into tears from exhaustion and fear.

So she used her water proof mascara that day.

Just in case.

What Riley didn't take into account was the severe amount of discomfort in maneuvering a blazer and blouse whilst having her arm in a sling. It took an extra fifteen minutes just to get the shirts on. Even with the pain killers, there was still a constant numb ache that rested on her shoulder.

But there she sat, alone in the interrogation room of the police station her fingers fidgeting, trying not to imagine the officers and her brother waiting on the other side of the one way glass. Trying not to imagine that they were analyzing her psychology, her moves, or rather stillness.

She tried to mentally prepare herself for the questions that were coming her way.

But how could she when she barely understood the situation herself.

The door knob turned, taking her attention while she watched the familiarly tall and well built man cross the distance to the other side of the table across from her, where he took a seat making himself comfortable.

"You're uhm…" she searched her mind for his name, certain that he was the man she had met at the hospital.

"Lucas Friar, detective and your brother's partner," he nodded, giving her a friendly smile extending his hand to shake.

Riley nodded, analyzing his hand for just a quick second. Her insides calmed with the softness of his voice so she extended her hand slowly grasping his hand and shaking it briefly. She finally noticed his looks for the first time since they had initially met. He was extremely attractive, tanned, his face chiselled to perfection. He had the face of someone she wanted to get to know.

"I don't know how any of this works," she said after a moment of watching him open a file her had placed on the table in front of him. He began sifting through the short stack of papers.

Lucas smiled to himself at her comment. "Understandable, this should be as painless as possible. I just want to see if you might know anything about your situation that you might not even realize that you know. I am going to ask you about your past and we are going to come up with a list of every single person from you past who might have something against you."

"Okay," she swallowed, realizing that she was about to reveal more about herself to this strange man than to anyone else she had ever known.

Lucas looked up from his papers, noting the distant look in Riley's eyes, his empathy for her getting the better of him.

"I know this isn't going to be easy, sharing so much about yourself. And I know you've seen a lot in your lifetime -"

Riley just shook her head, pressing her lips together. "You don't know what I have been through," she breathed, trying to slow her heart beat.

The two of them just stared at each other.

Two strangers.

About to share the most personal details of her life.

"You're right," Lucas agreed. "I don't know what you've been through. But I am about to. And I want to help you." Riley still appeared to be unconvinced, where Lucas sighed leaning back in his chair. He hadn't done an interrogation like this before. He looked over at the one sided window, knowing Josh was standing on the other side.

"Why don't we start out with an easy question, just your background information. Your family, tell me about your family."

Riley waited a moment, clear memories of her childhood flashing through her mind, she had to smile just barely at the sweet images.

"We're a close family, always have been. Mom, Dad, Josh, me and Auggie. The five of us, I wouldn't change a thing about them. They are everything to me. My Mom and Dad live across the city with my youngest brother Auggie who is graduating high school this year. And you know about Josh."

Lucas took notes, scribbling words down on some sort of paper.

"You grew up in the city then?"

"I've spent my entire life in the city. My grandparents live in Philadelphia, so occasionally we went there, but they would visit us all the time. We're still close."

"Can you tell me about your friends? The people closest to you besides your family?"

"Well there's Maya Hart. We've been best friends since forever, been through everything together, she's practically my sister. Middle school, high school, different colleges but the same city. She knows everything about me and vice versa.

"Then there's Farkle Minkus, I've been friends with him almost as long as I have been with Maya. I trust him completely with my life, we still work together. Farkle and Isadora Smackle are partners and they help me with my journalism.

"And then there is everyone from my past, middle school, high school, college, co-workers. How many of these people do I need to mention? This will take forever if I talk about everyone who's ever crossed my past."

Lucas leaned back in his chair, having dropped his reports soon after she began talking, while he focused on her story.

"You're right and that's not the purpose of this," Lucas agreed. "I just want to cover all of my bases. Let's move on and if you think of anyone who you think you should bring up just let me know.

"I can do that."

"Okay good. Boyfriends?"

Riley's eyes widened. "Boyfriends?" she questioned.

"Or girlfriends?" he acknowledged.

"Not what I meant," she crossed her arms.

Lucas smirked, and the questioning was beginning to feel like less of an interrogation and more of a conversation for two people getting to known one another. Except, well, he wasn't contributing much of his own details.

"Like a said, we have to cover our bases. Love affairs don't always end the way we want them too and sometimes there is crossfire."

"This is something we have to talk about?" she asked, hesitant to even begin this conversation.

"Yes," he assured her, spinning the pen between his fingers.

Riley sighed, taking in a breath.

"Well high school was very casual. I dated a guy for a while but he moved across the country to California to pursue his band."

"Name?"

"Brandon Gregory."

Lucas jotted the name down on the paper.

"My next serious relationship ended three months ago. Nick Santiago," Riley said, her heart thundering in her chest, with just the few words.

"Nick Santiago," Lucas repeated, copying the name down on his paper. "I feel like a recognize that name."

"Well you should, he was your predecessor," she muttered.

Suddenly his eyes widened in realization. Every story he heard had been a little different. Details slightly different. He never knew quite what to believe.

"He was the kindest man I ever met," she smiled to herself at the memory. The dark black short cut hair, the scruff around his chin, deep blue ocean eyes. "Nick was killed in the line of duty last March."

Riley's voice was distant, as she recalled every dreadful second of that day. Nick and Josh had been partners for almost three years at that point, and Riley had known him for almost just as long. Their attraction was undeniable, and neither of them fought it very hard either. But when Josh had shown up in her office late that Wednesday afternoon with a dark look etched on his face, he had only sorrowful news to share. The two of them cried together having both cared for the man very much.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Lucas said after a moment, tearing Riley away from her thoughts.

"Thanks," she whispered. She ha heard more than her fair share of condolences.

Lucas cleared his voice, trying to think away around the awkwardness he had created. Why hadn't he known more about his predecessor, Nick. He had heard things but they were only good things, nothing screaming about death. The new information explained so much about what he hadn't understood yet about his job and the precinct - about Josh and his distance. About how Lucas was only just beginning to learn the details of his partners life even though they had been working together for four weeks.

"Why don't we talk about your job?" Lucas suggested.

After over an hour of talking, Lucas was mentally exhausted from al lot the questions he had asked, and all the information he had taken in. Riley had to be one of the most humbly successful people he had met. Successful in a way that she didn't even know, in an unconventional way that made her stand out.

She had travelled around the world, spent time reporting news in the Middle East, and while she was still a teenager she spent time doing mission trips in South America building communities. After seeing these things, she knew that there was more that she could be doing and coming back to the United States, she could only see the corruption in corporate America.

Riley mentioned so many politicians, business people, co-workers, and acquaintances she had met along the way in her career, Lucas could only think about how lengthly the process of shortening the list was going to be.

Lucas dismissed Riley to have a coffee break before they discussed next steps watching her leave the interrogation room more than eagerly.

After a few minutes of making final notes, he followed her out to find Josh.

"Hey," Josh greeted him nearly as soon as he stepped out the door. "How do you think it's going?"

"She's been doing quite well under the circumstances," Lucas admitted. Most of the people he questioned we usually in a different situation though. They were usually on the receiving end, where he was trying to get them to admit the crime they had committed.

"Well usually she's on the other side of this too," Josh tried to explain. "She's usually the one asking the questions not the other way around, so she kinda knows how things works."

"Yeah," Lucas agreed distantly.

"I want to talk to the people she works with. The people who have access to her office. Because I still don't understand how someone was able to get that bug into her office without her noticing. And then also get into her apartment without anyone noticing either? That is the big question. Whoever this was had access."

When Lucas finished his rant out loud, he waited for Josh to add something, to at least help him make sense of every detail that didn't add up. But Josh's attention was down the hall where a man was walking up to Riley. He gave her a pleasant smile and wave, which Riley returned.

"Who's that?" Lucas asked.

"I don't know."

"Charlie?" Riley asked surprised more than anything. "What are you doing here?"

"I've been trying to get a hold of you, and I knew your brother worked here. Word travels fast you know. I heard that you were in an accident and had to make sure you were still breathing."

She looked down at her arm held in the sling. "Definitely still breathing," she nodded.

Charlie just smiled at her. "I can see that. What happened exactly? Everyone I asked said something different."

"I just had a little run in with another car, no big deal."

"You always did downplay things, didn't you?" he went along with her explanation.

Riley smile disappeared almost just as quick as it came. "How come I haven't heard from you in so long? I thought we were still friends. After Nick died I could have really used another shoulder to cry on, and you weren't there." Her eyes were wide as she remembered all the horrible nights when she cried herself to sleep while Maya and Josh were away on their honeymoon.

"We are friends! I tried to reach you, Riley," Charlie began, placing his hand on Riley's well shoulder. "But you just ignored all my texts and calls, I just assumed you didn't want to talk."

"Didn't want to talk? You are one of my closest friends, Charlie, how can you think that? I got a new cell phone two months ago. New cell, new number."

Charlie took a step back with an amused smile. "Well now I just feel stupid. I should have known."

"It's okay," she offered him a sweet smile. "You know now."

Charlie just smiled at that brunette and nodded. "We should get some coffee sometime, catch up. What do you say?"

"Definitely. Things have been quite busy lately, and with this accident things have been kind of crazy, but I'll find some time."

"You've made quite the name for yourself haven't you?" Charlie said looking around the office.

"It might seem that way, but I'm not sure if having my face being such a public image was always such a great idea. Sometimes I wonder how different my life would have been if I pursued teaching like my father."

"Well sure, we all think that way. A single decision has the opportunity to change the life of so many people. Just think of how you life and everyone else's around you would have been different if you have made that decision. Where would all those people who you've impacted through your newscasts have been right now otherwise. How many of those fraudsters and criminals would have gone untouched?"

"You're really trying to cheer me up right now, aren't you?"

"Just returning the favour," Charlie shrugged, turning his attention to the two officers on the other side of the office watching them in that moment. "You have body guards now?"

Riley turned finding Lucas and Josh watched her and Charlie, and chuckling. "You remember my brother, right? He and his partner, they are not my body guards, Josh is bringing me out for lunch."

"I see," Charlie replied, as he began to collect himself, preparing to leave.

"I would invite you, but it's sort of a family affair," she replied. She looked back at the corner where Josh and Lucas were, to only see Lucas's back walking into the interrogation room again.

"I understand. I have to get back to work anyway." Riley nodded, letting Charlie put some distance between them. "It was good to see you again, and I'm glad that you're doing alright, and that you're still on your own two feet, don't let whatever happened rattle you. You're doing a lot of good in this world."

"Thanks, Charlie," Riley grinned. "It was great to see you again."

"Bye, Riley."

When Riley returned to the interrogation room with her cup of coffee, both Josh and Lucas were already waiting for her. Josh had his arms crossed, and Riley just narrowed her eyes at him in response.

"What," she asked.

"Who was that?"

Riley just chuckled at her brother's 'bad cop' impression. "That was one of my friend's, Charlie Gardner. We've been friends since college. We were both in the same program."

"You didn't mention him earlier."

"It hadn't occurred to me," she defended, mimicking his tone. "He's one of my closest friends from college but we've been out of touch for the last few months."

"He's going on this list," Josh declared, finding the pen and writing it down at the bottom of the paper.

"What why?" she asked wide eyed.

"How did he know you were here?" Lucas asked, stepping in between the two siblings.

"I don't know. He said he was looking for you," she pointed towards Josh. "I told him that you were a police officer and he was trying to find you so he could see if I was O.K."

"He's going on the list," Josh repeated, this time even more firm. "Everyone is a suspect here."